MTCIA Responds to (the latest) Rumor

We’ve heard a rumor. The MTCIA has changed course (flip-flopped is the word we’re hearing) and is now pushing for marijuana legalization.

The truth: In Montana, medical marijuana is permitted for qualified patients. However, that right means nothing for qualified patients if there’s no way to access the cannabis. The MTCIA is working on behalf of creating an access system for the patient-consumer that is safe, functional, and respectful of our communities.

A functional system requires that patients have the right to act as a consumer just as citizens do in addressing other needs. So in that, we represent the right to do business, a right this country was founded on.

If the people of Montana chose to extend access to a broader population than patients, the MTCIA would work to create a quality system in regards to a supply of cannabis that was responsive to that extended right.

So the mission of the MTCIA is to generate, support, and work on behalf of a quality, functional system. Much of that work has meant advocacy for the patient market. Much of that work has been on behalf of the right for Montana businesses to function.

The rumor that we’ve “changed course” and are “pushing legalization” is merely that – a rumor. But the MTCIA does support finding a legitimate place in the society and economy for cannabis that is based on real data and to then craft a legitimate system in which to regulate the manner in which supply meets demand for the benefit, safety, and good of Montana.

The MTICA also seeks to ensure that our members are treated like individuals and businesses in any other industry. Cannabis is serving as an effective therapeutic for more than a million Americans. Providing that cannabis is creating jobs, and in some places, generating needed tax revenue. The potential benefits are significant to individuals, Montana businesses, and communities.

Our goal is to make it work.